The Expensive Connection between Gynecomastia and Risperdal

Adverse side effects of powerful drugs are something that people who have no other treatment options have to accept. They make this choice when they consult with their doctors and decide to go ahead with treatment. They take the risk of adverse effects because of the benefits.

However, when crucial information is withheld that could have affected this choice, this is negligence. If the doctor fails to explain it in full to the patient, it is medical malpractice. If the drug company suppresses information from both the doctors and the patients, it is product liability.

In far too many cases, drug companies withhold information that may affect their sales. In the case of Risperdal (risperidone), an atypical antipsychotic that appeared to be safe even for children diagnosed with autism, schizophrenia, or bipolar disorder, the knot in the wood was gynecomastia. According to the website of Risperdal lawyers of Williams Kherkher, gynecomastia is the abnormal development of male breasts.

It appeared that Riperdal could cause gynecomastia in young boys. Granted that Risperdal is effective in controlling the symptoms of approved mental disorders, parents may have thought twice about putting their young son on a drug that could have undesirable long-term effects. Other treatments available could get the job done well enough without these effects.

The big mistake of drug maker Janssen Pharmaceuticals (a division of Johnson & Johnson) is that it suppressed this information from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), doctors, and patients. When the connection was made, and the courts imposed fines on Janssen and J&J, it opened the floodgates for civil lawsuits.

The first case that went to trial for the allegation that Janssen willfully withheld information about the causative link between gynecomastia and Risperdal was filed in Philadelphia. The patient, Austin Pledger, first started taking Risperdal in 2002 for autism when he was 7 years old. The now-20-year-old has 46 DD breasts. The jury found Janssen and J&J liable for damages to the tune of $2.5 million. The drug maker is expected to appeal.

If you can relate in a meaningful way with the plight of Austin Pledger, then you may also be eligible to sue Janssen and J&J. Contact an aggressive Risperdal lawyer in your area to advise you. You may also be the first in your state to make it to trial.